Tail Light Brightness
 

I'm getting ready to do some wiring and lighting system upgrades on my '48 F-1. This will include some new wiring and turn signals. My question: Over time I've read posts from folks who painted the inside of their tail light housings with something other then standard black. I remember silver (aluminum) and white. What do you guys use? What's best? I'm not going to 12 volts or leds. I just want to make the most of what Henry provided. Thanks!!

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

White is the most reflective. Good grounds are the most important.
Bruce

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

I used the chrome spray paint, white was in the original light, low out put, next did the rear passenger side in Aluminum paint, better. Don P. told me to try the Chrome spray paint, took to several evening car cruise ins and people thought I had LED lights. I did attach an extra ground wire to light so that as car ages more it will continue to have a good return path to ground.

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

I used white in the front and rear marker lights in a '50 shoebox. Great improvement.

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

I used white in the '39 LZ tail lights, the car had been converted to 12 volts but the white was a vast improvement. I'm going to paint the tail light housings in the '39 CS (still 6 volt) white as well.

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

I was reconditioning my back-up light assembly and used the shiny side of aluminum foil as a reflector. Fastened it in-place with a bead of adhesive caulk. Works good.

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

White improved mine.

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

Dd931, use 1932 headlight bulbs in your taillights and they will be plenty bright.

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

" Good grounds are the most important." I agree. On my truck (6V) I ran another grounding cable from the battery to the frame and then grounded both headlights and taillights directly to the frame.

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

I found that the chrome aluminum paint sprayed onto the inside of the parking light and the tail light housings almost doubled their brightness. I got the idea from the headlight reflectors being silver plated.

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

On my 40,I painted the inside of the taillight buckets gloss white and installed 32 Ford headlight bulbs in there . Bright now !

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

I've had good luck with these Super-Brite tail light bulbs: http://www.vintageford.com/part_sear...3-6sb&Category Also painted the buckets white.

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

We only see visible light between .4 and .7 wave length in microns, silver is best and needed a cover to keep it from tarnishing from humidity. Protected silver provides the highest reflectance between 500-800nm but is best suited as a rear surface reflector due to its sensitivity to tarnishing. The Chrome/mirror paint is almost 98% reflective, you will see a very noticeable improvement in using chrome/mirror paint. Silver was used in head lights for this reason. One other problem over the years was light incident on a second surface mirror was subject to dispersion from reflection off the cover glass. Glass tends to disperse light, causing different wavelengths to refract at different angles. Car company's worked on lens/glass problems until modern times to focus the head lights. In modern rear tail lights you will now see three bulbs for each purpose, one bulb running light, one bulb backup and one for reverse.

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

Who has chrome/mirror paint we can use effectively?

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

O'Reilly's paint isle worked fine for me, removed old original white paint, taped off the light socket, and worked great.

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

Do you have to change the socket to install the '32 headlight bulbs?

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

Thanks to all!! Just what I wanted!!

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

No, The 32 bulbs have pins unlike the later headlight bulbs with the flange . Also installed a relay at the brake switch to keep the excessive load from burning it up,now the switch just makes and breaks the ground to operate the relay.

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

Has anyone actually had trouble with extra current load on the brake switch when using '32 headlight bulbs? Would a modern switch solve the problem? Note that this is a hydraulic system.

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

Here is an old thread with some information on the proposed headlight use for stop and tail light.

http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?p=459402
Bruce

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

Bruce - Thanks!! Not that it cleared anything up, but I am more illuminated!! (Sorry, I couldn't resist!)

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

I have "illuminated" sense 1976 in Twenty Six states, just comes natural !!!!!

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

Painted the insides gloss white, alum foil, flashlight reflectors and Super-Brite tail light bulbs - still 6V. That is called every trick in the book and Blue dots, it doesn't get any better than that. Believe me that works!

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

I went to a "Next Day Sign" shop and bought 1 foot of "chrome" vinyl and applied it in the tail lights over what I had painted white, and I must say there in some improvements useing the chrome vinyl.

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

Ditto on the Super Brite's from Sac. Vintage Ford. I had the LED's in there, but installed Super Brite's and there was a huge difference.

Mike

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

I used chrome duct tape worked very well

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

On my '36 I used '32 cowl light reflectors in the tail lights and it is a little brighter than the white inside the housing.

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

I have tried reflective tape instead of white paint. It helps but not as bright as silver. I've also installed Cree LED bulbs which are brighter that halogen and draw 70% less amps. But with the amount of rear collisions on antique vehicles, it's almost impossible to keep the person behind alerted to your slowing down or stopping. Gordon

Re: Tail Light Brightness
 

Well, I followed the chrome paint route and am very pleased with the result!! I bought Duplicolor chrome paint off the rack at Advance Auto. High hopes. I'll know in the spring!! Thanks for everyone's comments!!